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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27774253">Exploration</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/atwas/pseuds/atwas'>atwas</a>, <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cresstionmark/pseuds/Cresstionmark'>Cresstionmark</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Call of Cthulhu: Path of Perdition (Web Series)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Lotsa Leadup, M/M, Post Path Pre Masks, during Timeskip</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 08:01:17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,012</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27774253</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/atwas/pseuds/atwas, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cresstionmark/pseuds/Cresstionmark</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“Mason, how much would it cost for your services?”</p><p>Mason blinked.</p><p>“Are ya serious?”</p><p>Takes place during the 4 year time skip.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Mason Allen/Sunil Pandey, Sunil Pandey/Mason Allen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Exploration</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Mason, how much would it cost for your services?”</p><p>Mason looked down at the man who was speaking to him, one Sunil Pandey. Mason searched the man’s face for any trace of mischief. A joke. A jest. A jape, if one would. Sunil, from what Mason could tell of him, was a little unpredictable. Occasionally he said things and it wouldn’t be immediately clear whether or not he actually meant them, or if he was saying them as a means to an end. So Mason, as cliché of a phrase it is, was completely within his right to ask the next question.</p><p>“Are ya serious?”</p><p>“I am very serious.” Sunil replied. Straight faced. No indication of anything. Flat. Serious. ”I would like to partake in your services, and I would like a price estimate before negotiating further business.”</p><p>Mason chuckled. He got it now.</p><p>“Of course that’s the game!”</p><p>“Oh?”</p><p>“Yeah yeah, I getcha language. You’re asking me for my ‘services.’” The amusement rose in Mason’s throat. “Whaddya need? Somethin’ a little too heavy for ya to pick up? Ya need someone to get somethin’ off the wardrobe for ya? They’re a little tall in this hotel.” He smiled. Sunil always had a way with wording things. This was just another one of those cases. “Ya don’t gotta pay me for doin what friends do, though I wouldn’t turn down a penny or two-”</p><p>“Mason, you know that’s not what I meant.”</p><p>Mason was very sure that was what he meant, and now he was at a loss. The thought of what Sunil could be asking about tickled at the back of Mason’s brain, and he kept batting it back with a broom. There was no way Sunil could be asking for Mason’s. You know. <i>Services.</i></p><p>“Is it like...an emotional thing then? I’m not usually the person to call for that, but I do have some experiences with bedside manner--” That was typically a side service, but a service nonetheless. That had to be what he was asking for, it had to be--</p><p>“Mason, you are giving me quite the runaround. Do you talk to all of your potential clients like this?”</p><p>
  <i>No fucking way.</i>
</p><p>“Well, uh--” Mason’s throat went dry. “What services are ya lookin’ for?”</p><p>“Well, what do you offer?” Sunil said, tilting his head slightly.</p><p>“See, now you’re giving me the runaround.”</p><p>“I assure you, I’m not. I want to know what is actually offered to me before I make a commitment. That said, I suppose I can list some things I’ve heard of? Admittedly, I’m not the most up to date client-- a handy, I hear it called?”</p><p>He did not just say a handy</p><p>“Or a blowy, if you’d be up to it--”</p><p>
  <i>He did not just say a blowy</i>
</p><p>“Really I’m up for a lot of things. Just don't spit in my mouth and we should be fine. So, again, what are you offering?”</p><p><i>Spit in your mouth?</i> Of all the things Sunil Pandey drew a hard limit on-- wait. What did he actually mean by that? This made everything even more confusing than it already was. What sort of things has he-- “Bud, do you even know what you’re sayin’? A handy? A blowy? Do you even know what those are?”</p><p>“Well a handy is when someone uses their hand to stroke the phallus, and a blowy is when it’s the mo-”</p><p>“OK so you do know, but do you <i>know?</i>”</p><p>Sunil paused.</p><p>“Mason, I’m older than you.”</p><p>Mason blinked. He knew this was objectively true, but rarely had it actually been thrown in his face. It’s not that he saw Sunil as a child, but he always saw him as a peer, not a potential customer. There was something about the distinction in relationship that made pieces of him averse to the idea, but he couldn’t ignore the look in Sunil’s eyes. This was a grown ass man who knew he wanted something and was willing to pay for it. Mason put his hands through his hair and took a deep breath. Fine. If he wanted to be a client, he’d charge him like a client.</p><p>“Ten bucks and a drink’ll getcha a couple hours, and we can figure out exactly whatcha want on the fly. First-timers fee.” Mason was high dollar, even before retiring, and he knew there was no way Sunil would be able to cough up that kind of money on the spo-</p><p>Sunil slapped a ten dollar bill into Mason’s open palm.</p><p>“The drink will come later. I’ll meet you in my room in about two hours then, yes? I need time to clean up.”</p><p>“WH- Have you just been carrying that around with you? How much do you have on you? <i>How long have you been plannin’ this</i> I-”</p><p>“Two hours, yes?” Sunil looked up at Mason, unwavering. Slightly annoyed, even. Mason went stiff, but managed to get out a response.</p><p>“Two hours. Your room.”</p><p>Sunil smiled.</p><p>“I’ll be waiting.”</p><p>---------</p><p>Mason walked up to the hotel room still not entirely sure reality was reality. Did his [tiny] friend Sunil Pandey, just a mere two hours before, ask him for his <i>services</i>? Like, his professional ones? The ones he <i>didn’t</i> put on his resume? He had spent the last two hours trying to walk it off, but now he was standing at the door, still as unnerved as he had been in the moment.</p><p>This had to be a joke. There still had to be time for it to be a joke. Just an elaborate one. A long con. Sunil wasn’t above a long con. Mason would open that door, and Sunil Pandey would be standing there, laughing, going on about how he couldn’t believe Mason took him seriously, and Mason would join in after chiding that Sunil had “got him” and then they’d play Black Jack or something over the complimentary mints that came in the lobby because sometimes you just don’t want to order food service--</p><p>“Ah, you’re here!”</p><p>Mason hadn’t realised he’d knocked. He must have, and Sunil had opened the door normally and quietly. The lack of fanfare made Mason’s stomach sink. Sunil had opened the door like usual, like he was inviting someone in, and that made Mason more uneasy than any sort of raucous laughter ever would.</p><p>“Well, don’t just stand out there. Come in, come in! We have things to discuss.” Sunil led Mason into the room by his hand, which was limp in Sunil’s palm. Sunil took a take back at the door, looked through the crack, and then finally closed it, turning back to Mason. Mason looked into the room. It had the same setup as any of the other typical rooms in a Hollywood hotel, which was actually strange, given that Sunil had been staying there for a while. The sole indication that Sunil had taken up residence here was the shoes next to the door, which were pressed together in a neat little pair. The only other sign of life was an ice bucket at the foot of the bed, a bottle of champagne nestled in the ice.</p><p>“Nicked it a few days ago while we were out on the town. Good thing it’s the winter, people don’t question you when you’re wearing a big coat.” Sunil picked up the bottle in the ice and admired it for a moment, showing it off to Mason. “The drink, as promised. It’s the best I could buy, given the circumstances.”</p><p>“You know, Sunil, this is all very elaborate--”</p><p>“Well, I only want the best experience. It seems a simple courtesy to me.”</p><p>Mason took the man in one more time. Took him in for all of his physicality, all of his expression, studying every gesture. There was no sign of mischief or malice. No sign of an ulterior motive or some elaborate plan.</p><p>“You’re serious, aren’t you?” Mason put his hands in his pockets and considered both the entire room and the entire situation. The payment. The booze. Sunil Pandey, standing there, with a determined expression on his face.</p><p>“I have been this whole time.” Sunil replied. He shifted from foot to foot. “I suppose we should get started then, shall we?”</p><p>Well, Mason Allen was nothing if not a professional. If Sunil wanted to go at this as a client, then he would be treated like one-- friendship and history aside.</p><p>“Did you ever figure out what you wanted?”</p><p>“Not exactly--” Sunil teased, hooking his thumbs under Mason’s suspenders. “But maybe we should take this in steps until we figure it out.” He said, slipping his thumb up Mason’s chest and down his arms, pulling the suspenders down with them. The suspenders hung around Mason’s waist, and Sunil had let his hands follow. They rested there and it seemed as though, for a moment, Sunil had forgotten they belonged to him. He pulled them away. Mason let it happen-- the second thing he learned early on was to let the client lead as much as possible. His job was to facilitate the experience, and make it just that: an experience.</p><p>“Well. You’re the expert. What do we do now?” For all of Sunil’s bravado leading up to this point, Mason could still detect the flickers of uncertainty in his eyes and in his body.</p><p>Mason smiled and replied in a casual tone in an effort to put him more at ease. “Oh, I’m the expert? You’ve been the one leadin’ this little excursion up to this point.” </p><p>“Just because someone’s heading an expedition, it doesn’t mean they don’t sign on people who actually know how to explore.” Sunil tapped his fingers together at his side, a gesture that Mason was very familiar with. “So, Skipper, what do we do now?”</p><p>This was going to be complicated, but Mason Allen was nothing if not a professional. The third thing he learned early on was to lead clients into figuring out exactly what they wanted if they didn’t know. Mason nodded and took a moment to plan his next move. Sunil, ever studious, was looking at him eagerly. He was giving Mason his full attention, and, if he didn’t know any better, Mason would’ve assumed he was about to pull out a notebook and start taking notes.</p><p>“Uh, well… Okay, no problem. If I’m gonna be the captain of this ship, then let’s start you off with the basics.”</p><p>Mason directed Sunil on what to do next, and Sunil hung on every word. They went through the process of removing their garments, one piece at a time. First came vests. Then ties. Then shirts. Every step along the way, Sunil would ask questions. About the best ways, the most interesting ways to go through the process. Mason would respond, at first a bit puzzled as to the angle Sunil was going for, but eventually easing into the routine: removing a garment, providing advice on techniques or methods, then having his student take a turn. It was all very methodical. Very clinical. Very straightforward.</p><p>Mason guided Sunil’s hands down his under shirt, tracing down his torso. He felt the slightest of hesitations, but Sunil pressed on, hands tense under Mason’s. Mason flicked his eyes up, and Sunil’s face was a carefully arranged mask of concentration. He was just another client, Mason reminded himself. Sunil was a paying customer and that meant that he would get what he paid for-- friendship and history aside.</p><p>“So, you could go about this in a few different ways.” Mason held Sunil’s hands against his torso, the gentle pressure preventing him from pulling away too quickly like he had been doing. Sunil nodded, ever the academic, and Mason found himself getting a little impatient. Sunil still hadn’t expressed what exactly he was looking for out of this, and what exactly he wanted, but by this point Mason was pretty sure he had an idea. The fourth thing he learned early on was that sometimes, what a client wanted most was to be told what to do. Was Sunil the type of guy he expected that from? Not necessarily, no, but Mason had always been very talented when it came to rolling with the punches.</p><p>“But I usually find the simplest method is the most effective. Sure you can go in for fancy or unusual methods, but if you’ve got the basic bit down, you can always add your own touches dependin’ on who exactly you’re with.” Sunil nodded, but it still looked as though he was at a bit of a loss. His hands, at least, remained comfortably on Mason’s hips.</p><p>“Let me demonstrate, if you don’t mind?”</p><p>“No, no of course not. I mean, go ahead.”</p><p>“Good,” Mason smiled. “Keep your hands on me, and I’ll show you what I mean.”</p><p>In lieu of a response, Sunil stepped a little closer, one hand hesitantly moving to the small of Mason’s back.</p><p>With Sunil having granted him permission, Mason began unbuttoning Sunil’s undershirt, and with each inch of exposed skin came a kiss. He began at the pecs, and slowly made his way down to the stomach, until he finished just below the navel. Sunil had gone silent during this process, his body reacting slightly to each touch. Sunil’s chest rose and fell, each breath deeper than the last, as Mason made his way towards his neck. Mason began to peel away the undergarment, slipping it past Sunil’s shoulders and down his arms before he began to lace kisses around the hollow and then the nape of Sunil’s neck. Sunil involuntarily shuddered. His breath hitched, expelling a small noise, and he flinched at the touch. Only slightly, ever so slightly, but detectable to Mason all the same. </p><p>This was the first sign of resistance Mason had felt during their time, and he wanted to act accordingly. He stopped mid-kiss, his lips still pressed against Sunil’s skin. “Doin’ alright up there?” he mumbled.</p><p>“Y-yep. Quite alright, thank you for asking.” One of Sunil’s hands had made its way up, and his fingers tangled in Mason’s hair. Mason wasn’t sure if this was to pull him back, or pull him closer.</p><p>“Yeah?” Mason could feel Sunil’s pulse racing under his lips.</p><p>“Yes. I am fine. That is what I said the first time you asked,” Sunil said, a hint of irritation in his voice.</p><p>Fine. Sunil wanted to be treated like a client, he reminded himself. And if a client gave the go-ahead, then that was that. And Sunil was a client. A paying client at that; and Mason needed to put any sort of history or friendship aside, even if by now he was very familiar with the way Sunil talked, and didn’t believe him for a second.</p><p>“Got it.” Mason pulled back slightly, as if to give both himself and Sunil some space to breathe before they continued.</p><p>“So once you’re to this point, there’s not much left to get through. I’d actually recommend gettin’ on the bed for everythin’ going forward.”</p><p>At Mason’s direction, Sunil allowed himself to be pushed back gently, and he sat down on the edge of the bed.</p><p>Mason knelt in front of him and gestured towards Sunil’s pants.</p><p>“I’m gonna give ya a choice here. Do you wanna undo em, or should I?”</p><p>Sunil hesitated for a moment.</p><p>“I would like you to do it.”</p><p>Mason went to work, undoing Sunil’s leather belt and unbuttoning the pants underneath. Then, he got to his underwear. He looked up at Sunil, who returned his gaze. This was the last point to turn back. After these snaps were undone, they would enter a territory they could not return from.</p><p>With confidence, Mason went to undo the first snap. He felt the muscles in Sunil's thighs tense, and as he moved to continue, he felt a tremor run through Sunil at his touch. Mason stopped entirely. He dropped his gaze and rested his forehead against Sunil’s knee.</p><p>“Mason?”</p><p>Sunil was a client, Mason reminded himself. This wasn’t some casual thing, or a social call. This was a service. And with every service there was a degree... A degree of separation that had to happen.</p><p>The first thing he learned, early on, was that you never let your life overlap with your work. Never. Full stop.</p><p>Nervous clients were one thing. Mason was great with first-timers and nervous clients. He had a natural gift for putting people at ease, and for making them comfortable. But this?</p><p>Well, he couldn't put it aside. Not the history, and not the friendship. Sunil being a client didn’t erase all of the things Mason had come to learn about him. It didn’t erase his mannerisms, or his vocal tics, or any of the other dozen things that were so obviously <i>Sunil</i> that Mason couldn’t hold him at arm’s length no matter how much he tried.</p><p>Mason re-did the snap. He didn’t look up. “I don’t think you wanna do this.”</p><p>“Mason. We’ve already been over this, and I already told you--”</p><p>“I know what you told me, ya don’t gotta go over it again. Listen.” Mason sighed, and raked a hand through his hair. “I know what you said, but it doesn't match with how you’re actin’. You’re shaking, and it doesn’t come off as with anticipation, either. Look, <i>I</i> just don’t feel comfortable goin’ all the way on this if <i>you're</i> not comfortable.”</p><p>“But--”</p><p>“Listen, I’m glad you trust me with this. Really, I am. But to me, at least, it's obvious that whatever's happenin’ here? Ya don't want it happenin’ with me.” Mason sat back on his heels, carefully putting distance between the two of them.</p><p>Sunil deflated. The confidence that he had been doing his best to project this entire time slipped away entirely. He buried his face in his hands with a strangled noise of frustration.</p><p>Mason waited, not wanting to interrupt whatever it was Sunil was working out in his head.</p><p>“You can keep the money Mason, I’m sorry for dragging you into this.” Sunil’s voice was quiet.</p><p>Mason looked up, trying to get a decent read on him-- but it was as though Sunil had slammed his windows shut. No matter the angle he approached it, Mason still wasn’t entirely sure what was running through Sunil’s mind. Instead, he gingerly got up and sat on the bed next to him, careful not to sit too close or too far.</p><p>Sunil fell back onto the bed, his face still in his hands. When he finally spoke, it was muffled. “What am I doing?”</p><p>This was the question that Mason had been trying to find the answer to for the past hour, and that didn’t even include the two hours of uncertainty leading up to this entire… encounter. “Why did you ask me in here anyway?”</p><p>Sunil curled his hands into small fists, freeing his mouth but still covering his eyes.</p><p>“I don’t know. Mason, I’m 25--hell, I’ll be turning 26 this year-- and I still don’t know what I’m doing! I didn’t know who else to ask. I thought if I could...with you...I’d learn something.” Sunil laughed, bitterly. “Field Research, I guess. That’s all I’m good for. Some expedition this turned out to be. Congratulations, we found nothing we didn’t actually already know-- Sunil Pandey can’t be intimate. Even with someone he paid to be with. Even with someone he knows is really good at it. That’s the discovery. Send it to print.”</p><p>Mason leaned back slightly from where he was sitting, putting his weight on his hands. He exhaled. “Listen, Sunil-- and trust me when I say this-- all of this? It’s complicated. Yeah, sure I’m ‘good at it’ and ‘I get paid’ but that’s just it. It’s not just some physical thing, is what I’m tryin’ to get at.” Mason looked over to Sunil, who still hadn’t uncovered his face entirely. He picked his next words carefully. “Not to be a Puritan or anything, but I think for you, you should be doing this with someone you’re actually excited to be with.” Sunil’s hands migrated down to his cheeks, his eyes still closed. </p><p>“What if that never happens?” </p><p>Mason shrugged. “Well if it doesn’t ever happen, then it doesn’t ever happen. I’m not gonna sit here and lie to you and give you the lines, ya know? But uh, I know this isn’t for everyone. I’ve met a few people who figured they weren’t ever gonna be excited to be with, well, anyone. It is what it is.” </p><p>“...Are there people you’ve been excited to be with? I mean, outside of your job. Just someone to be with. No strings attached.” Sunil’s hands moved to his chest.</p><p>“Um,” Mason tilted his head. It wasn’t really something that came to mind much, now that he thought about it. “I mean, yeah. Even while I was still in the business, I met people outside it that I cared about and wanted to be with. It’s just… a lot harder when you’re in as deep as I was. But to answer your question, yeah. I have.”</p><p>“Is it still hard now?” Sunil looked to Mason.</p><p>Mason was silent for a moment. “Honestly?” He laid back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. “Honestly, yeah. It is.”</p><p>The two watched the ceiling fan rotate above them. It traveled in lazy circles, hypnotically.<br/>
The moment seemed to stretch, the silence in-between the seconds expanding. They shared in the space, seemingly feet apart, but closer than they had been all night. </p><p>It was Sunil who spoke up first.</p><p>“Oh” He sat up, and looked over to the bucket of champagne. “The ice is melting…”</p><p>Mason followed suit, sitting up as well.</p><p>“Will you look at that. It is.” Mason got up, went over to the bottle and pulled it out of the ice. “No sense in lettin’ it go to waste.” He turned to Sunil. “Did ya bring a corkscrew?”</p><p>“Mason, that’s yours--”</p><p>“I asked for a drink, not a whole fuckin’ bottle. Share it with me. It’ll be a toast.”</p><p>“A toast to what?” Sunil cocked his head slightly to the side. Mason shrugged.</p><p>“I mean, does it have to be a toast to anything? I dunno. A toast to you? To me? Our friendship? A toast to this, frankly, kinda weird night in general? It’s your choice-- as long as we manage to hit the bottom of this bottle, I’ll be happy.”</p><p>Sunil smiled. A genuine one, this time. “A toast to….whatever this is!”</p><p>Mason poured the champagne, handing a glass to Sunil and then raising his own. “You’ve got it. To whatever this is!”</p><p>They clinked the champagne flutes together, and simultaneously downed their entire glasses. Mason immediately refilled them, and the more jovial tone filled the room. Sunil, at some point, went over to where he had hidden all of his things, and produced a deck of cards. Mason suggested reverse strip poker, and, after a brief conversation about the logistics of it ("Okay but would ya put on a piece of clothing if you won the hand? Or if you lost it? This is an important question, Sunil"), they decided to just play Black Jack as they were. </p><p>When they were out of champagne and complimentary mints, the morning light served as a secondary cue that the night was over. A little tipsy, but still functioning, Mason stumbled out of Sunil’s room. Sunil called a few muffled goodbyes from inside as Mason shut the door behind him. He settled his suspenders, readjusted his tie, and, upon realizing it was not his tie, reopened the door. He found Sunil already asleep in a tangled mess on his bed. Mason couldn’t help but chuckle. He threw the tie into the room, and it landed close to Sunil’s face. Sunil grabbed it, still sleeping, and brought it closer to him. Mason quietly closed the door, and looked down the hallway leading to the lobby.</p><p>It would certainly be a walk home.</p>
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